The closet has long been a device that has kept queer character from expressing their true identities and feelings within narratives. The closet often begins narratives in which characters fight against heteronormative views to disclose their queerness. In popular culture, many queer narratives also fall victim to the “bury your gays” trope in which queer characters often meet their demise after disclosing their sexuality or experiencing moments of true love. In this paper, I will explore what happens when show-runners subvert the closet and the “bury your gays” trope. What happens when a character arc instead begins with a queer character having died, and features the character rising from the grave? Does this change understandings of how the trope works? Does the grave function as a second closet from which one must come out? I will investigate these questions through an in-depth case study of the BBC’s two season queer zombie drama, In the Flesh. Furthermore, this paper will pose the question: even amid what some might call a zombie apocalypse, is it possible to find what Jose Esteban Muñoz and Jill Dolan might deem a queer utopia?
About the presenterCody Allyn Page
Cody holds a PhD in Theatre and a certificate in Performance Studies from Bowling Green State University. He is an adjunct professor at Penn State Harrisburg, where he teaches Effective Speech. Cody is a director, dramaturge, and intimacy choreographer. His research interests include queer theatre, queer representation in popular culture, and theatre for social change. Cody received his MA in Educational Theatre from NYU and a Bachelors from the Pennsylvania State University.